Dadko Tales
by autumneuphoria
Summary: Fatherhood has never been particularly easy for the royal family of the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Zuko's is no different, especially with children who are always involved in various shenanigans.
1. Water

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters.**

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_In memory of my loving grandfather._

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The first whip hits him on the forehead.

It's late into the morning and the Chief's sister's igloo is empty, save for a lone firebender who currently is under attack.

His eyes flutter open and he blinks the sleepiness away.

He tries to get up into a bending stance when his gaze settles on the little girl comfortably sitting on his stomach.

"Kae—" before the name could even slip past his dry lips, another ice-cold water whip hits him on the chin.

"Gaah! Kaede!"

For a six-year old, his progeny was quite the prodigy—much like her mother.

"Hi, Daddy!" Kaede grins widely at her father, eyes twinkling with enthusiasm and something that he could only place as mischief.

_Whip._

His cheek!

What is happening? Why is his daughter beating him up?

"Uncle Sokka told me to wake you up!"

_Whip._

His other cheek!

Well, that makes sense.

Sokka had taken it upon himself to 'punish' the Fire Lord after he had missed out on their monthly 'bro time' the previous month, and what better way to execute said punishment than through his innocent little niece?

_Whip._

His nose!

Zuko splutters and coughs out the water that entered his nasal passage and lips and sat up straight, effectively bringing Kaede up with him.

"You can stop now, sweetheart; I'm awake." his face dripping wet, red, and sore, Zuko looks down at the little girl with pigtails and hair-loopies.

"Okay." Kaede giggles, and the Fire Lord could swear he'd heard his brother-in-law's guffaws from outside.

The igloo's door (which was actually only a draping curtain) opens and a happy Waterbender and son enters.

When Katara looks up from Zeek, her eyes bulge at the sight before her. Her husband was now awake—face red and wet—their daughter on his lap.

Eight year old Zeek immediately laughs. "Daddy! What happened to your face?"

Zuko scowls and indignantly looks away. "Kaede attacked me."

Katara's eyes grew even wider. "Kaede?!"

The little girl giggles and looks up at her mother. "Uncle Sokka told me to do it."

Zeek laughs again as he and his sister run outside to play.

"How the mighty have fallen." the Master Waterbender tsks as she sits down on the cot.

"Shut up, Katara." Zuko scowls once more as he narrows his good eye at her.

She simply laughs. "Does it hurt?"

"Oh, no, it doesn't. Of course it doesn't. What do you think of me? A weakling? I received five water whips from our progidy of a daughter, but I'm fine—_of course it hurts!_ Now will you just sit there and keep laughing at my expense or actually try to help me?"

"Oh, I can't do anything to help you, I'm afraid." Katara wipes at imaginary tears, her laughter coming in hiccups.

"What do you mean? Can't you just heal it?" Zuko's brows furrow.

Katara rolls her eyes. "Not everything can be solved by healing waters. Some injuries just have to naturally heal on their own."

"So you can't help me?"

"Not with my healing abilities. But what I can do—" she bends the water out of the pitcher by the cot and freezes it while bending another ribbon and using it to slice the frozen water into cubes.

She bundles the cubes up into a handkerchief and motions for him to lay on her lap and he does so.

"—is this." she dabs the ice pack around the sore areas and he sighs in relief.

The cold bites his skin a bit, but he doesn't mind. The South Pole's climate was even more volatile.

"This might take a while." Katara murmurs, her free hand running through his shaggy hair.

"It's not like you'd be doing anything." Zuko mutters, eyes closing.

Katara smiles though he can't see, and that is how the Fire Lady finds herself babysitting her husband for the rest of the day.

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01/28/13


	2. Earth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters.**

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The smell of tea makes his nose crinkle and the taste of it makes him want to empty his stomach; but for the sake of his grandfather, Prince Zeek calms his features, takes a sip of the jasmine tea-and nearly breaks his resolve.

He hates tea and he doesn't have to be forced to drink this vile concoction-for the Fire Nation's sake, he was the Crown Prince! He didn't have to do things he didn't like!

But one look at General Iroh's contented smile and his thoughts are flushed out.

"Trying to turn Zeek into a tea-lover, Uncle?" Fire Lord Zuko's chuckle interrupts the silence that hung over the rooftop tea, and the Prince visibly brightens at the sight of his father.

Iroh laughs heartily. "One can never start too early, nephew."

Zuko smiles before hugging his beloved uncle and takes the empty seat beside his son.

"Have some tea yourself now, would you?" Iroh lifts the pot from the small table and pours a steaming cup of tea for the Fire Lord.

Zuko crinkles his nose visibly. "Do I have to, Uncle?"

"Why, of course! With such a hectic lifestyle such as yours, tea is the only way to relieve you of the stress!" Iroh all but shoves the cup into the younger man's hands and chuckles as Zuko sighs.

"You know I've never liked tea, Uncle." Zeek's eyes widen at the revelation. If his father didn't like tea and refused to drink it, then he shouldn't have to as well, didn't he?

"Really now?" the Dragon of the West feigns surprise and his nephew just laughs. "Yes. But for the sake of those old bones of yours, I'll drink it."

Zeek sighs.

There goes his chances of _not_ drinking this horrible, horrible _thing_.

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"You know, Zeek, I'm very proud of you."

Said boy looks up from where he lay in the small Earth Kingdom bed in his grandfather's humble apartment, golden eyes staring into his father's own.

Zuko smiles. "I know you don't like tea, son. Your mother loves it, but unfortunately for you, you're very much like me. And I _hate _tea."

The six year old lets out a small giggle as he hugs his stuffed lemur closer.

"But you still drank it anyway, because you knew it'd make your grandfather happy. That's a sure sign of a great leader-to-be. I'm very proud of you." Zuko leans down to kiss his son's forehead and as he closes the door behind him, the Crown Prince smiles into the darkness.

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Katara smirks knowingly at her husband as he enters their room, shaggy hair already out of its topknot. "For someone who hates giving speeches, that was a pretty good one."

Zuko meets the waterbender's gaze and smiles sheepishly. "You heard?"

"Yes. And _I _am proud of _you_." Katara steps forward and places her hands on his shoulders.

"What? Why?" perfect eyebrow crease into hills and golden stare meets blue.

"Because... You were so scared that you'd turn out to be like Ozai during the early years of our son's childhood," Katara notices the darkness that settles on his face and calmly continues. "But look at you now. You're _nothing_ like him. You'll never be."

The darkness flees from Zuko's face and is replaced by a loving smile, highlighted by the moon shining brightly in the Ba Sing Se skyline. "That's because I have you by my side to keep me in check."

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02/07/13


	3. Fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, any of the characters.**

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Fire Lord Zuko didn't know what was worse: having his pregnant wife angry at him for accidentally calling her fat, or having his son step up to be his romantic advisor.

Nevertheless, the little hands pushed at his legs to move, and the little huffs of breath kept coming from behind him.

"Go on...Daddy! Give...Mommy the fire...lilies and...say you're...sorry!" five-year old Zeek spent the better half of his morning picking fire lilies in the garden with his father, rejecting wilted ones with an angry pout of "That's ugly, Daddy!" and giving a thumbs up and a beaming smile at the fully grown ones.

Right now, they were outside the Royal Chambers of the Fire Lord and Lady, the guards stifling laughter in front of them.

"Zeek, are you sure this will work?" Zuko muttered, face flushed red.

"Yes...Daddy! Grandpa Iroh...always says that...flowers are the...answer to...most things!" Zeek kept pushing at his father's legs. _Why did they have to be so strong?_

"I thought that was tea?" Zuko answered thoughtfully, risking a glance at his son.

"DADDY!" the little screech made the Fire Lord scuttle forward and knock at the door, effectively pushing the guards aside.

"Okay, okay! See, I knocked, didn't I? Now come here!" Zuko held out the hand that wasn't holding the bouquet of flowers, which the Crown Prince gladly took.

"Just say you're sorry, Daddy." Zeek advised sagely.

"You should really stop hanging around your grandfa-" Zuko was stopped short when the door opened.

Katara crossed her arms over her six-month bump, a scowl on her face. "Come to make fun of my weight again, oh husband of mine?"

Zuko flushed red again. "No, I actually came here to say-"

"Say what? That my hair's out of place?" Katara interjected accusingly.

"No! No! You're hair's perfectly fine! It's actually better now that the hair loopies are out."

"Oh, so when I had the hair loopies, I looked ugly?"

"What? No! That's not what I mean! I-"

"Daddy! Just say you're sorry!" Zeek cried, eyes bugging wide.

"What? Oh! Right! Look, Katara, I'm really sorry I called you fat-it was an accident, and I didn't mean to. I just forget sometimes that you're pregnant now and that my mouth has yet to grow a filter and can you believe that Zeek is actually better at this romantic-apology thing than I am? He's five years old for crying out loud! Yeah, I'm babbling again, but I babble when I nervous and you know that and okay what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry and here are fire lilies Zeek and I picked the whole morning as a peace offering. You look great even with the baby bump or the hair loopies, by the way. And I love you. Forgive me?"

Katara stared at him with narrowed eyes for a good whole minute before smiling softly. "I forgive you, Zuko. This is so sweet!"

She gingerly took the flowers from him and sniffed it. "I love you too. But you're still sleeping in Zeek's room tonight."

As soon as the last words flew out of her mouth, the door was slammed in the face of a surprised Fire Lord and guffawing guards.

Zuko sighed and led his son away.

"Daddy, saying sorry isn't so hard." Zeek stated innocently.

"But if it's to your mother? Good luck, kiddo."

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03/17/13


End file.
